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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. STONER.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALE.

No. 289,784. Patented 1190.4, 1883.

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2 D E N 0 T S B m AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALE.

No. 289,784. Patented Dec. 4', 1883.

. UNITED Srarns Parser ASSIGNOR TO THE STONE? AUTO AUTDMATIC GRAlN-SCALE.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,784,

dated December 1883,

Application filed May 26, 1883. (X model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John B. Srownn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York,

5 have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Grain-Scales, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic scale for use in mills, warehouses,

IO and elsewhere for determining the weight or for dry measuring grain, spice, and similar substances, the invention being especially adapted for use in warehouses, elevators, and mills,where it is necessary to weigh large quantities of grain.

To this end my invention consists, first, in the combination, with a rising and falling hopper, of arms having each aknife-edge or equivalent fulcrum-bearing, by which the hopper is supported, and provided at the other extremity with a suitable detachable weight, said arms having bearings between their extremities,upon which they rock as the hopper rises and falls, and said hopper having a lateral as well as a vertical movement.

My invention consists, secondly, in a valve mounted upon a rocking bar just above the central partition of the hopper and operated by the lower double valve of the hopper.

My invention consists for the third part in an automatic lock, consisting in a spring-bolt adapted to engage with a notched segment rigidly mounted upon the end of the rock-shaft carrying thelower double valve of the hopper. My invention finally consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will first be fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 0 l is a rear elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section upon the line on x of Fig. at. Fig. 4 is a side elevation.

A in said drawings represents a suitable frame erected upon any convenient platform or base. Upon this frame A are placed bearings a a, which form supports for arms B B, the latter having knife-edge or other suitable fulcra, b b, which rest upon the bearings a a.

At or near one end of the arms 13 plates or rods 0 are attached, having their lower extremities connected by a beam, 1), which may be upper portion of the hopper G.

used as a counter-balance, or which may be weighted to the required degree in any suitable manner.

To the lower extremities of the beamsupports are attached parallel guide-rods E, having their ends pivoted to one of the uprights of the frame A, whereby the beam-supports C are maintained in a vertical position during each movement of the arms 13, and vibration of said arms prevented.

Upon the forward end of each of the arms B is formed a knife-edge bearing, (Z, which projects inwardly and enters an aperture, 0, formed in the lugs F F, mounted upon the These bearings form the entire support for said hopper, which normally is suspended therefrom in a. true vertical position, the center of gravity being considerably below the point of suspension. In order, however, to preserve this position and avoid the swinging of said hop per, caused by the alternate shifting laterally of the center of gravity, I connect the lower portion of its body with the rigid funnel-case H by means of parallel arms I I, having a length between their pivotal points equal to the distance between the bearing-points b I) and (Z (1 upon the arms 13.

The hopper G is a rectangular receptacle, having two of its opposite vertical walls inclined inward or toward each other at their upper ends, whereby the opening bounded by said walls is correspondingly contracted. The interior of said hopper is divided into two bins of equal dimensions by central partition, K, which is parallel with the contracted walls of the hopper.

The floor orbottoin of the hopper consists of a valve composed of two equal parts or leaves, L L, which are arranged at an angle with each other, the vertex of said angle being parallel and coincident with the center ofthe dividing partition K. This valve is supported upon a roclrshaft, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) 5 and, as seen in Fig. 3, is so formed and arranged that when one of its parts or leaves, as L, is

closed, the other will be versa.

\Vithin the upper portion of said hopper is placed a single-leaf valve, M, parallel withthe central partition, K, and rocking in bearings opened, and vice e I eao,

having their axes in the same vertical line with the bearings of the lower valve, the lower edge of the valve M being arranged close to h upp er edge of the partition K. The upper edge of said valve extends somewhat above the Jpen end of the hopper, and as the valve turns upon its axis this edge moves in the arc of a circle just below the throat f of the hopperfunnel N. This funnel is placed upon a horizontal support, 0, the lower faces of which are beveled or undercut, as shown at g 9, Fig. 3, to permit the free movement of the valve, and at the same time secure such proximity of its edge to the contracted throat of the funnel as will practically close the entrance to either bin of the hopper. The ends of this valve are provided with shields 0, arranged to lie-against and parallel with the walls of the hopper in which the valve has its support. These shields close the very trifling space between the shelf 0 and the open end of thehopper sut'ficiently to prevent the escape of any grain.

Upon the rock-shafts of both the upper and the lower valves outside the hopper G are rigidly mounted walking-beams 1 1?, arranged in parallelism, and having their extremities connected by the parallel rods R R. From this arrangement, which is illustrated in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the action of one valve will necessarily be accompanied by the action of the others.

Upon the opposite end of the rock-shaft of the lower valve, L L, and outside the hopper, 3 5 is rigidly mounted a segmental block or plate, S, having notches t Z formed in its periphery, at or near its ends, the interval between said notches being equal to the are described by the upper edge of the valve M.

Just above the notched segment S is placed a vertical locking-bolt, Z, centrally arranged upon the hopper and adapted to move vertically in bearings m m. Normally this bolt is thrown down and into engagement with the 4 5 segment-plate S by means of a spiral spring,

a, which is compressed between the upper bearing, an, and a pin set in the bolt Z.

When the parts are in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the valve L at the bottom of the hopper will be closed and the valve L open, while the upper valve, M, will open the entrance to the bin, having its bottom closed by the valve L, and close the entrance to the other bin. The position of the valves is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and by the engagement of the locking-bolt Z with the notched segment S they will be held in that position until the bolt is raised and the lower valve operated.

Below the hopper G, and rigidly mounted upon the supports A, is arranged a funnelcase, H, having a central partition corresponding with that dividing the hopper. Upon the front of this case, and in a vertical line with the bolt Z, is placed a metal plate, T, having its upper end bent inward toward the hopper,

as shown in Fig. i. This plate is made of stiff metal, and is sufficiently strong to trip the bolt Zwhen the latter is brought in contact with it. It will be seen that the head of said bolt is so formed that a portion projects outward beyond the outer face of the segment S, in order that the plate T may trip it without coming in contact with the notched segment.

Having thus far described the several parts, the operation thereof is as follows: Grain or such other substance as it is desired to weigh or measure, being supplied to the funnel N, will descend'therefrom into that one of the bins of the hopper G which is closed by the lower valve, the arrangement being such, as already described, that the upper valve will close the entrance from the funnel to the opposite bin. The beam D being weighted to the proper degree, the moment the quantity of grain in the receivingbin counterbalances that weight the hopper will descend by gravity, the arms B turning upon their fulcra b b and dropping the hopper, while at the same time it is carried slightly toward the front, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. As it reaches the lowest point of its descent the projecting head of the lock-bolt Z is brought into contact with the tripping-plate T, and the bolt is thereby lifted out of the notch in the segment S. The weight of the grain, pressing upon the leaf L of the lower valve, at once forces it open, at the same time closing the leaf L, and also simultaneously therewith reversing the upper valve, M, whereby the grain descending from the funnel is deflected into the other bin, which is now closed and ready to receive it. At the same moment, moreover, the segment-plate S is turned, revolving on the rock-shaft of the lower valve until the lock-bolt Z is thrown into the other notch, i, by the action of the boltspring a, and the valves above and below are locked in place until sufficient grain has entered the bin to again counterbalance the weight on the beam D. The operation will then be repeated and the valves reversed into the position first described, and so on ad z'afinitam.

It will be remembered that the instant the lock-bolt is tripped the lower valve opens and discharges with such rapidity that the hopper rises almost instantaneously, thereby permitting the bolt to act and secure the valves in their reversed position. The grain from each bin of the hopper is discharged into the divisions of the funnel-case H alternately, and may be thence conducted to any suitable receptacle.

In order to limit the movement of the hopper Gr, so as to secure the required action, lugplates V V are attached to projections \V WV- one upon each side of the apparatus-and mounted up on the supp orts A A. These plates have at each of their ends lugs t t, projecting inwardly, and between these lugs the rearward extremities of the arms B B are arranged to move.

This apparatus greatly facilitates the handling of grain in elevators, as well as flour or meal in mills, and spices, bakiiigpowder, and many other articles where it is desirable to obtain equal quantities for the purpose of pack ing. In elevators and mills, especially, much labor can be saved, a great accuracy of weight obtained, and the cost of handling greatly rednced.

By the use of this apparatus the slow and laborious method of filling the several receptacles and weighing each one, and subsequently correcting the excess or the lack of the required weight, is done away with. The automatic scale delivers into any receptacle the exact quantity required without attention from the operator, except to remove the filled vessel and supply the empty one, and this operation goes 011 without for a moment interrupting the operation of the scale.

Instead of the notched segment-plate and spring-bolt, whereby the double valve closing the bottom of the hopper is locked and held in position during filling of the hopper, I may use other devices-as, for example, a springactuated hook having an arm extending under the edge of the valve and pivoted to the hopper, with an outwardly-projecting arm which strikes a projecting point as the hopper descends and trips the supporting-arm from 1111- der the valve. This last form is not illustrated, because its construction will be understood from the description, and in itself it forms no part of my invention.

Different forms of such hooks may be used, as well as other devices performing an equiva lent function. W' hen the hooks areused, one is placed upon each side of the hopper.

Having thus described my invention,whatI claim is 1. In an automatic scale, the combination, with a rising and falling hopper, of upward ly-inclined arms, from one end of which said hopper is suspended, and a detachable weight applied to the opposite extremity of said arms, whereby as said hopper descends it is carried toward the front, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with a rising and falling and laterally-moving hopper having two receiving-bins, of a two-leaved valve adapted to open and close the bottoms of said bins alternately, and a single upper valve adapted to alternately close and open the entrance from the funnel to said bins, and mechanism, substantially as described, connecting the upper and lower valves, whereby their action is multaneous and reciprocal, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the hopper sus pended from the weighted arms, of the valve closing and opening the lower end of said hopper, a notched segment-plate rigidly mounted upon the rock-shaft of the valve, a spring-actuated locking-bolt engaging with the notched segment, and a tripping-plate adapted to e11- gage with a projecting piece on said bolt as the hopper is carried downward and forward, substantially as described.

4. The combination,with the divided hopper, of the lower double-leaf valve, the single upper valve, both mounted upon parallel rockshafts, an arm or beam centrally attached to one end of each shaft, and parallel rods connecting the corresponding ends of said beams, whereby the action of both upper and lower valve is rendered simultaneous and reciprocal, substantially as described.

5. The combination,with the rising and all ing hopper, of the arms supporting the same, the weight-supporting rods depending from the opposite ends of said arms, and the parallel arms connecting the hopper wit-h the funnel-casing and the weight-supporting rods with the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN B. STONE t.

XVitnesses:

E. L. IIAYES, It. W. Mrmmxx. 

